Returning
by Harknessgirl
Summary: When someone from the Eppes family past that returns after 14 years, old feelings and questions will also return. Colby/Charie, Don/OC. Rape and Slash.
1. Prologue

I'm Kim Brown, Criminal Profiler for the FBI in Seattle. At the moment I'm on the way to Los Angeles, somewhere I promised myself I would never return. I ran away from LA 14 years ago.

I had a loving family, my "Adopted" parents, Alan and Margret Eppes, My best friend Charlie Eppes and My boyfriend Don Eppes. They were everything I had ever wanted. On the 17th March, two days after mine and Don's three year anniversary my perfect life came crashing down around me.

I had to get out of LA, start over. Everywhere I turned I saw him, felt him run his hands along my hips. I knew they would have all supported me through the trial, the psychiatric sessions and the nightmares.

But what I really wouldn't have been able to deal with was the looks they would have give me after knowing I was raped.

So I ran, and now I have to return.


	2. Chapter 1

David, Colby, Charlie and Don leaned on the wall watching the people below them.

"I don't see what else we can do," Don admitted. "We have spoken to family members, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, fuck buddies. I don't see what else we can do to find a connection between these people."

All the men nodded in agreement. David turned his head slightly and caught the sight of a woman walking towards them. Her wavy strawberry blonde hair bounced as she walked. Her white t-shirt clung to her, he sighed as he watched the woman walk closer towards them. He noted how she was a pretty woman, but had a thin frame and no curves. I like my women curvy. He looked at her face, she was wearing sunglasses on her small face, even though it was not very sunny. She's hiding, David presumed. God I'm spending to much time with Megan.

The woman was coming closer to them. He saw the bulk of her gun on her waistbands and he could see the outline of another gun on her left leg.

"David!" David whipped his head around to Don "Where were you?" Don stared at him.

"Sorry, Don" he rubbed his head and concentrated back on the conversation the rest of this colleagues were having and not on the woman coming towards them.

Kim rubbed her hands on her pants, she could see them leaning on the sidewalk. She spotted Charlie from a mile a way, the hair was a giveaway. She eyed the men as she walked nearer to them. At the end of the four men was a muscular man, his gun pointed down the back of his trousers. Hope he has the lock on that, god help him if it went off.

Next to him was a muscular black guy and from what he could see had a cheeky smile. He looked directly at her. Kim's heart jumped into the back of her throat, she was not ready to meet them yet, this was on her terms not there's.

He heard the voice, a deep but gentle voice. Commanding his friends attention. Don. Her heart rate increased. His friend looked back at Don and delved back into the conversation they were having.

Charlie. His hair a bundle of mess. Kim smiled at the brown converse under the trouser suit.

Kim walked up behind them and turned the other way trying to gain the courage to go through with this. She took a deep breath and turned around and faced their backs.

This was the moment of truth, the moment she had been dreading her whole life, she was finally going to step back into Charlie and Don's life.

She breathed out.

"Special Agent Eppes."


	3. Chapter 2

Don recognized the voice instantly, at first he thought he was dreaming but after seeing everyone else turning around and Charlie's gasp he realised he wasn't. Don slowly pushed himself up from the wall and turned around to see his first love.

He couldn't help but think how much she had changed, her hair was longer, she was a lot thinner and her eyes didn't sparkle like they used to. He looked out of the corner of his eyes to Charlie who was standing there with his mouth wide open.

"Kim." Don whispered. Don felt his heart flutter as she smiled nervously.

"I'm here about a case," She blurted out. He felt him self nodding. It was if he was on auto-pilot.

"Which one?" He heard Colby ask. Don turned to look at the man he now called a brother and then back too Kim.

"The serial case you're working on at the moment, I think the killer has moved from Seattle."

"Is that where you live?" Don heard Charlie stammer. Don watched as Kim nodded.

"I'm here to help," Kim said "If you want my help that is."

Don just stared at her, it had been 14 years since he had last seen the woman in front of him. This person had meant everything to him. She was his best friend, his lover. She gave him his first kiss, who he lost his virginity with. The person in front of him was his first everything.

"We need all the help we can get." Don heard David exclaim, who turned to look at him to confirm the statement. Don nodded, that he was right.

Kim tipped her head in the direction of the car park "I will go and get my case files."

Don watched as she started walking away from them. He felt his heart telling him to go after her, it felt like it was 14 years ago, like she was leaving him all over again. Don looked at Charlie and saw the same pained expression on his face which he believed was also on his face. Don nodded timidly when his brother looked at him directly, knowing what his brother was thinking. Don watched as Charlie started walking towards Kim and shouted her name. She turned around and waited as Charlie walked beside her. Don couldn't help but feel jealous of his little brother.

Charlie smiled timidly as he walked beside her and they walked in step to the car park.

It had been so long since he had seen her 14 years, 7 months, 3 weeks and 4 days. He looked at her through the corner of his eye, making sure she was still there and was not some weird image of his imagination.

"I have a boyfriend," Charlie announced. He frowned and internally slapped himself. Where the hell did that come from?

"So I heard," Kim sighed

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked feeling a little puzzled.

"There were a few rumours going around."

Charlie nodded in understanding. He and Colby had tried to keep their relationship a secret but after Don and his father found out it didn't take long for David and Megan to find out, who then told Larry and Amita and eventually everyone else found out. Everyone was happy for them but also equally shocked he and Colby were gay.

Kim tried to look everywhere at the person next to her. She had promised herself that she would come to L.A, get the case solved and go home as soon as possible. She didn't want to bond with the Eppes family, she knew it would all end in pain for all of them when she had to eventually leave.

"How long have you been going out?" She asked Charlie.

"Nearly 7 months,"

"WOW" Kim said as they walked down the steps to the car park.

"You always suspected I was gay, didn't you?" Charlie asked

Kim looked around pretending to remember where she parked her car. This was something she defiantly didn't want- reminiscing about the past.

"I don't know Charlie." Kim lied. The truth was she had always suspected, that Charlie was not as straight as he played out to be. Even though in his teenage years he had been a bumbling genius, he still had his attention from the girls because she even had to admit he was pretty cute. Charlie had always dismissed them, saying he had to concentrate on his maths.

Kim would always remember a boy named Johnny who had joined there local Science group, he had been sat next to Charlie and he had become this stuttering idiot. At the time she had not understood what had effected him but as she had grown older she came to understand.

"What about you?" Charlie said, Kim saw him look at her hand as she held it up to unlock the car.

"Nope," She really didn't want to have this conversation. The conversation that she hadn't had a proper relationship since that night. The best relationship she did have was with a goldfish called Fred. Even he dumped her after 2 months.

"What, nobody?" Charlie pressed as Kim dropped a brown box in his outstretched hands.

"No, Charlie, I am currently not seeing anyone. It you are really interested though I do have an occasional fuck buddy that I see when he comes to town." Kim said as she slammed the door shut and started walking back towards the building carrying another brown box.

Charlie stood and stared as his childhood best friend walked away from him.

As kids they never argued, they never even had a heated conversation. They were happy that way.

Charlie couldn't help but wonder what had made her into this sarcastic bitch.


	4. Chapter 3

Don sat at his desk staring at the black computer screen. He could feel his heart rate increasing when he thought of her. Even after all these years she still turned his legs to jelly.

They never spoke about her, knowing the pain it caused them all.

He felt like his heart had been pulled out and ripped into shreds and then spat back at him. He had moped around the house, watching the door waiting for her to coming bounding in and apologizing for taking so long to do the shopping or some meaningless act.

Charlie concentrated on his maths, P vs. NP . It was the first time Charlie had ever totally succumbed to the numbers. He hated seeing his brother like that but there was nothing he could do to stop it, as he felt the same.

His mum and dad were different too, they were not as enthusiastic as usual. They may have not been connected by blood or the law but when Kim left his Mum and Dad lost a daughter.

It took them a long time to get over the fact she had left. Don and Charlie had wanted to look for her but their mum and dad discouraged them. They sat for hours telling them there must have been a reason she left and that we need to give her time and that if we did there was a chance she would come back. She never did, until today.

Don was pulled from his thoughts by arms wrapping around his neck. His heart rate increased and he turned his head to see Robin. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Hello Special Agent Eppes," Robin purred, kissing him on the lips.

"Hey," He whispered.

She frowned "What's wrong?"

"It's the case, we've got no leads." Don lied. Don didn't really want to have the discussion that the love of his life had returned. It dawned on him that he had said it.

The love of his live.

Did he really mean it?


	5. Chapter 4

Charlie and Kim walked into the elevator, not having said a word to each others since Kim's outburst.

"Thank you," Charlie said. Kim looked at Charlie as the doors closed.

"What for?"

"The flowers you sent to mums funeral." Charlie said. Kim could see the pain in his face and hear it in his voice. She looked away from him feeling the tears building up.

"No problem,"

They stayed in silence for the rest of the ride.

Colby and David sat around a table looking through the photos of the murder victims.

"So, any idea who she is?" David said breaking the silence.

"Nope, Charlie's never mentioned her." Colby said looking out into the bullpen and to see Robin and Don together.

"I'm guessing she's an ex-girlfriend of Charlie's." David said.

Colby frowned when he looked at David "Why?"

"Don was quite distant from her and Charlie was the one who went to help her," David said. "Why jealous Granger?"

Colby growled "She's Don's Ex."

"Well if that's true, then that's not going to go down well." David said indicating the bullpen.

Colby looked and nodded in agreement.

"Want me to get some popcorn?" David grinned.

Colby laughed at his partner.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Robin said. Don squirmed inside, Robin was rubbing her hand up and down his arm. He didn't want Kim to see him like this, he felt like he was cheating on her somehow.

Don leaned back in his chair, breaking the contact " I wish there was." He turned to look around at the ping of the elevator. He saw Kim and Charlie walking out. He noticed that they were not talking. He wondered what had happened.

Kim noticed the woman on the edge of Don's desk the minute she walked out of the elevator. The way she looked at him, it made her stomach churn. Kim looked straight ahead and tried not to look at them. She bit her lip and told herself to stop being stupid. She followed Charlie as he walked into the conference room where the muscular man and the coloured man were sitting. The nodded and smiled when they walked in.

That must be Colby. Kim smiled and couldn't help but check him out. She had to admit he was hot. She put her box next to Charlie's and smiled at him when he looked at her.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped at you before, it wasn't fair." Kim smiled. Charlie's face automatically lit up and surged towards her, wrapping her in a huge hug.

Kim couldn't help but feel the warm sensations that were running through her body. She told herself to ignore them but she couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him as much as he was holding on to him.

"Damb," Kim slightly pulled away from Charlie and looked towards the source of the cursing. She saw Colby pulling out some notes of his wallet and throwing them at David.

Before coming here her superior had made sure she knew all the agents associated with this case and about their past. That way she knew there names and who to trust. She had to admit at the time she thought it was a silly idea but now she was helpful for knowing their names.

"What?" Charlie said. Kim pulled her arms from around Charlie and gently rested on the table behind her.

"Me and Colby made a bet." David admitted.

"Which was?" Charlie asked. Kim smiled as Colby blushed a little.

"That.. Em. She" Don nodded to Kim " Was an em Ex of yours or Dons"

"And what's the conclusion?" Kim smirked. Charlie look at her and raised his eyebrows.

"That your Charlie's ex." The David said grinning. Kim guessed he was the one that betted on Charlie. Kim tried to refrain from laughing at the frown on Colby's face.

"Well your wrong." Charlie stated. Kim smiled as Colby's face lit up and held out his hand, for his money back and the money he won.

" Please don't sound to eager to dismiss that suggestion Charlie, it doesn't do anything for my reputation." Kim smiled. Charlie shook his head smiling.

"I'm going to go and kidnap Don." Charlie said walking to the door.

Kim tried to ignore the ecstatic emotions jumping up and down in her stomach telling her that Don was going to be in the same room with her.


	6. Chapter 5

Charlie walked towards his brothers desk, he could see Robin fawning over him like he was a injured doe. Robin was nice, Charlie would never dismiss that but he had to admit there was just something about her that made him dislike her. He didn't know whether it was the fact she took time away that he and Don would have together away or if it was the fact he knew Don was meant to be with his childhood best friend.

"Don," Charlie said standing at the end of Don's desk.

"Hey, What's up buddy?" Don grinned. Charlie growled inside, how the hell could he be like this when the woman he used to love and the woman Charlie is positive he still loves is in the other room.

"Kim's waiting." Charlie stated.

"I'll be with you in a minute," Don smiled.

Charlie sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned around and started walking back to the conference room.

Don forced his smile at Charlie as he walked away. He could see the disappointment and anger in Charlie's eyes as he had spoken to him.

"Kim?" Robin inquired.

"A profiler from Seattle she's helping us with the case," Don said looking into the conference room to see Charlie and Kim smiling at each other.

"Is she any good?"

"Don't know, I've never worked with her before,"

"Oh right okay," Robin said smiling at Don. Don was happy that she hadn't asked for anymore information. He had told Robin about Kim one night while drunk, he remembered doing it, he also remember her face while doing it. He turned to look into conference room again. "Anyway can I stay and help?"

Don snapped his head to look at Robin, "What?"

"Can I stay and help?" Robin asked again.

Don opened and closed his mouth unsure what to say. He stopped when Robin gave him a funny look. "Do you not have a case?"

"No, I've finished them all" Robin stated "Anyone would think you didn't want me to help Don."

"I do want you to help," He pulled her closer to him "Come and help me?"

Robin grinned "Okay, come on."

Don stood up and walked in front of Robin as they walked too the conference room.

"Oh Kim, I forgot, This is Colby and this is David, and Megan is just about to walk through the door" Charlie smiled.

Kim grinned as she plugged in her laptop to the white board. "Hey Guys, I'm Kim"

Colby and David smiled at Charlie's introduction and Megan walked over and held out her hand as she heard Charlie's introduction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too."

Kim forced the smile on her face as Don walked in with the woman he had been with in the bull pen.

"Right Guys, Lets get this show on the road." Don said taking a seat behind a desk, everyone sat down. Megan and Charlie on one table, David and Colby on the other and Don and the woman on the other.

"So 4 Months ago, Eliza Wood turned up dead in a dumpster behind Walmart. She had been missing for over a week, she was last seen outside her home at 5pm in the afternoon going to pick up her little girl from Ballet class," Kim took a folder off the table and hands it to Colby. "Theses are the crime scene photo's and medical exam results. Her tox screen was zero, she had burn marks on her wristsand legs."

"Was she sexually assaulted?" Megan asked.

Kim's heart rate increased, she hated that questions "Yes, before and after their death."

Kim watched as Don looked at the pictures, he visibly paled just like his previous male colleagues had. "It's the same Son of a Bitch"

"He's killed 5 women in Seattle, and then he stopped. At first my team and I were really worried wondering if he had kidnapped a large amount of women all at once. But no bodies turned up that matched this description, but we still continued hunted him, using all the evidence we had on him. but then we found what connected them. "

"We then found out about the Killings here and here I am."

Megan looked at the pictures and turned her head away, closing the file and putting in front of her. Charlie didn't look at them, Kim was happy about that.

Kim watched as Don stood up and Ran a hand through his hair. "What does connects them? We could never figure it out."

"In Seattle they all went to Child Abuse Anonymous meetings."

"They were abused as children?" The woman whispered

Kim nodded. "From the profile that we created it is apparent that so was the Killer. We suspect that the leader of the group may be the killer. He knows himself how to connect with the victim's as he himself is a victim of Child Abuse.

"They say abused children often become abusers themselves" Megan agreed.

Kim nodded in agreement.

"What's the profile?" Don asked. Kim noted how he still had not looked at her directly.

"To outsiders he will seem arrogant and over confident in his skills. If he has any family which I suspect her has, he will demand complete attention to them if he wants it. I also suspect that if he does have a family he may abuse them, he will be jealous if they meet anyone else which may take them away from him. He will know how to manipulate his victims"

"The killer may also have other violent tendencies, I suspect he will have a criminal record for violent crimes. He may also stalk his victim's without them knowing."

"What shall we do?" Colby asked.

" I would suggest to look and see if any new meetings have been set up in the area."

"Right Guys, get on it." Don told his team. Colby, David and Megan all got up and the conference room sending a nod and a smile in Kim's direction. The woman leaned over and whispered something in Don's ear and also got up and left. Kim turned around and typed on her laptop. She heard Charlie say something to Don and also left the room. Her heart rate increased dramatically as she realised she was left with Don, all on her own.

She heard him close the blinds, she was positive he would be able to hear her heart thumping in her chest. She turned around and saw him staring at her. He started slowly walked towards her and she stood there waiting to see what he was going to do and say.

Colby sat at his desk and started searching on his computer , David was looking through any information the FBI had, while Megan went to talk to the Child Abuse protective agency.

Charlie walked over to Colby's desk and sat on the edge. Colby smiled at him and sighed.

"What's up?" Charlie asked softly.

"I hate it cases that involves people who were abused, you never know what to say," Colby said.

Charlie sighed and squeezed Colby's shoulder lovingly. Colby rubbed his cheek on Charlie's hand.

"If Don sends us home, wanna go and get something to eat?" Colby asked.

"Sure." Charlie nodded, it was visible on his face he was still worried about Colby,

"Stop worrying." Colby said as he gently kissed Charlie on the lips.

"Never." Charlie smiled. Colby shook his head and smiled looking back at his computer screen.


	7. Chapter 6

Kim stood there as Don slowly walked towards her. He stopped in front of her, so close she could feel his breath on her face.

"Hey," He whispered. Kim swallowed.

"Hey," She whispered back.

"I don't want it to be awkward between us," Don admitted.

"Neither do I," Kim agreed.

"Good." Don said blankly. He turned around and opened the blinds on the way back out.

All those feelings she had for Don all those years came rushing back. She always knew in her heart Don was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She felt that connection with him the first time they had made love on his bed. It was something she would never forget the feeling of.

It was never the same with anyone else, it was just a meaningless fuck. She didn't know whether it was because Don had been so special or that that her being raped had taken the special meaning of sex. Her boss often told her she needed to get rid off all that tension and suggested getting laid. She dismissed him and just went to the shooting range. It was only when Edgerdon came to town she realised he was right.

Kim perched on the end of the table and rolled her lips inwards. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. She hated feeling like this, emotional. She hated being a woman. She gently pushed herself off the table and walked through the conference room to the break room, she needed a caffine fix if she was going to get through the next few hours.

Don walked through the bullpen and stood behind Colby. He rested his hands on Colby's shoulders, occasionally casting glances towards the conference room.

"Anything?" Don asked, looking at Colby's computer screen.

"There's two groups at the moment that stand out, I'm looking into their reliability at the moment,"

"Okay." Don nodded. He turned to see what David was up to and saw he was on the phone. He looked across the bullpen to see Charlie talking to Kim. He felt that twist of jealously in his gut again. He looked back at Colby's computer and caught Colby watching him.

"Who is she?" Colby asked. Don sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"A very old friend,"

"We know she's your ex,"

"She's more than that." Don said instinctively. He looked at Colby. "I… em"

"I didn't hear anything," Colby shrugged as he started typing at his computer. Don squeezed his shoulder lovingly as he walked away.

Charlie saw Don closing the blinds and wondered what was going on,he jumped off the table and walked to the far corner as Don came out and then rushed to Kim.

"Did you guys kiss?" He felt like he was in high school again.

Kim creased her forehead "No."

"Then why did you close the blinds?"

"Don wanted to talk privately,"

Charlie raised his eyebrows and grinned mischievously.

"Calm down Charlie, nothing happened and nothings going to happen, I'm helping solving the case and then I'm going back home." Kim sighed. Charlie didn't know what to say as she walked past him to the break room.

Robin walked through the corridors, leading into the bullpen. She had thought that all voluntary leaders that ran a help group had to sigh up with the DA, she had been right. She was currently holding all the names of the people who had signed up to do voluntary work for abuse victims in LA in the last 4 months- there was only 1 half A4 sheet of names. She saw Don standing with Charlie and David in the conference room and Colby and Kim where standing in the middle of their desks.

Robin walked over to Colby and Kim.

"Hey Robin," Colby smiled.

"Hey Colby," Robin smiled. Kim sent her a smile.

"I've got the names of the people who have volunteered to help in the last 4 months," Robin smiled proudly.

"That's great, I'll take it to Charlie he may be able to do something with it," Colby grinned as Robin passed him the piece of paper. Robin watched Colby as he walked away.

"We haven't been introduced properly," Robin said turning her attention back to Kim. "Robin Brooks."

"Kim Brown," Robin held out her hand Kim shook it. Then it hit her.

Kim Brown, as in Don's ex girlfriend, the one who ran away from him years and years ago.

"Is everything okay, you don't look to good?" Kim said.

"Kim Brown, as in Don's ex, Kim Brown?" Robin whispered.

"The one and only," She smiled

Robin frowned. How could she be so relaxed around me, its obvious that I'm, dating Don. The bitch she's here to steal him away. Why would she travel all this way to solve a case when she could just pick up a phone.

"Go anywhere near him, and you will regret it," Robin growled.

"Excuse me?" Kim said. Does this woman think I have come to steal Don? God she's bloody crackers.

"You heard me." Robin growled at her. Kim raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly.

Robin shook her hips as she walked to the conference room. When she was in the room Kim let a chuckle escape from her lips.

"Did she just threaten you?" Someone said from behind her. Kim jumped a little and instinctually placed her hand on her gun as she turned around. She was happy to see it was Megan.

Kim nodded and smiled "Yes she did,"

"Now if I was you, I would instinctively go out of your way to get close to Don," Megan grinned.

Kim nodded and smiled at Megan. She turned to look back at the conference room but could still see Megan watching her from the corner of her eye.

"What happened to you?" It barely came out as a whisper.

Kim turned to Megan "What?" She whispered.

"It's obvious to a profiler like me, probably not to them," Megan told her nodding towards the team.

"I don't know what your talking about," Kim said turning back to the conference room.

"Don't let it eat you away, it never works." Megan said before walking away to the conference room.

What happens if it already has? Kim added silently.


End file.
